Sedona, Arizona

Photo by Alfredo De Simone

Family travel to Arizona combines culture, adventure and kids. Visit a Native American Indian Reservation. Explore one of Arizona's many archaeological sites. Discover dinosaur tracks. Spot wildlife or watch birds. Marvel at the Grand Canyon. Hike, horseback ride or take a mule pack trip. And during the winter holiday season, take a train trip to the North Pole on the Polar Express. Whether you camp under the stars or relax in luxury at a destination resort there are countless things to do in Arizona with kids.Situated just north of Mexico, Arizona shares more than a border, or corner, with five U.S. states - New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and California. It shares the 'Old West' and Southwest cultures with several of its neighbors. Yet there is much to Arizona that is unique.

Arizona's rich cultural heritage dates back more than 11,000 years when the Clovis people, a Paleo-Indian tribe, traveled through what is today Southeastern Arizona. But it wasn't until AD 400 and the arrival of the pueblo cultures - Hohokam, Anasazi, Mogollon and Salado - that the state was actually settled. Today, twenty-one Native American tribes, each with its own distinct culture and traditions, call Arizona home. Tour a pueblo ruin or visit an Indian reservation on an Arizona vacation and learn more about this corner of the American Southwest.

The history of Arizona is also tied to the Wild West. Gold diggers and mountain men were attracted to this once inhospitable U.S. State. A family trip to the frontier towns situated in Northwestern Arizona provides an opportunity to introduce the kids to times past.

A family trek from corner to corner is a trip across seven of Merriam's Life Zones. Watch closely and take in each transformation along the way. And the change isn't limited to the vegetation; the wildlife also varies with the altitude and latitude. Don't forget your binoculars on a family vacation in Arizona!